High Spirits

  In this blog post, I reviewed Carol J Perry’s High Spirits, the second installment in the Haunted Haven paranormal series. This mystery will give you chills and plenty of intrigue. For Maureen Doherty, the newest owner of Haven House Inn, it’s around Christmas time. She needed a way to rack in the dough to bring people into her hotel and the Paramount Theater in Haven, Southern Florida. So she cooked up an idea with Ted Carr, the hotel’s bartender and chef, to serve dinner and Christmas movies. While they make a profit, Doreen dealt with the mystery of who killed Buddy Putnam 50 years ago, whose ghost had haunted the theater, and then the murder on who killed Decklin Monroe, the film projector. Were both crimes connected somehow? It’s up to Maureen, and some friendly ghosts, and her hotel staff, to put together this chilling mystery, piece by piece, before it might be too late in the end. 

This intriguing Christmas paranormal cozy is bone-cold as winter snow and will keep you guessing. I cared for Maureen, who had a lot on her hands with the hotel’s restoration, a budding romance, and being swept into another mystery in her new hometown. I do think that Ted could be good for her. I loved Haven, Florida as the perfect seaside town for the location, and the Christmas season for the theme with visual scenic settings. 

I rated this book, three out of five stars, because it left me wondering more about this cozy mystery. If you love chilling paranormal cozies with non-stop dramatic action, plenty of suspense, and goose-pimpling twists and turns, you would love High Spirits. This book is recommended for fans of Charlaine Harris’s and Emily Brightwell’s paranormal cozies to name a few, and those who love Christmas-themed mysteries.

Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas

    In this blog post, I reviewed Sarah Robinson’s Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas, the first installment in the Heart Lake contemporary romance series, this debut is so moving and heartfelt, it tugs your heartstrings. Magnolia “Nola” Bennett returns home to Heart Lake, Michigan, to take care of her late grandmother’s Gigi’s estate, during the Christmas season. She has plans to sell her home, known as the Castle, before she returns to Chicago. But not everyone’s happy to see her, especially her childhood crush on her best friend’s brother Tanner Dean. He irritated the hell out of her in the past. Tanner wasn’t thrilled to see Nola return home and hear about her plans. He worked so hard in his father’s company, ever since his father hurt his back. When they face each other, they learn about each other more and have fun hanging out with each other during the festivities. Little did they know, they realized they were meant to be each other and have a future together before it might be too late.

This Christmas-themed heartfelt contemporary romance is a tear-jerker and so deeply profound and moving. I instantly cared about Nola and how she would put her consulting talents to good use. I also adored Zander and Becca and Rosie, who are always a hoot. And I also cared for Tanner’s hopes and dreams to build a future for himself.  The picturesque winter-time landscape of Heart Lake was lovely for the scenic settings and the Midwest location. The theme of the story is home is where the heart is, to follow your hopes and dreams.

This enchanted contemporary romance is wonderful to read and experience all the feels. I rated this book, four out of five stars for no reason. If you love a contemporary romance that has the best friend’s brother trope, plenty of dramatic action, and lots of romance to make your heart sigh, grab a copy of Dreaming of a Heart Lake Christmas. This book is recommended for Hallmark Channel fans, and for fans of Robyn Carr, Debbie Mason, Jill Shalvis, and many others.

Beefcake and Snowflakes

  In this blog post, I reviewed Judi Fennell’s Beefcake and Snowflakes, the 4th installment in the Beefcake Inc. contemporary romance series. This hot and steamy romance sizzled with a scorching burn. Fifteen years ago, Gina Taormina have been humiliated in front of her class by her crush,  Darien “Froggy” Foster. She haven’t forgiven him about it. When she’s been forced to see a strip show, she couldn’t believe her eyes when Daren Foster danced before her. Gina works at a spa and needs a new message therapist to help out with her clients. That’s when Dare Foster arrived to work his magical hands on her clients and also on her. Things changed between them during a brisk winter season when they’ve done more than mended fences as they’ve gotten to know each other better in a most intimate way. For Dare, he wanted to make up for her and needed to figure out how. As an exotic dancer, he made ends meet and took classes on the side to make a better living. Things had changed between them during a brisk Christmas season when they’ve done more than mended fences as they’ve gotten to know each other better in a most intimate way. But when her spa was in danger of being closed for good, could she trust Darien and his intentions to make things right for them?
 
This steamy Christmas contemporary romance will burns the pages right off the book. I cared for Gina and how she dealt with facing Darien Foster for the first time in twenty years. Forgive and forget, right? But when she worked with him at her salon, it made things more complicated than she at least expected it at first. And Darien as an exotic-dancer-turned-massage-therapist had turned up the heat. He had a way to melt more than hearts in this romance. I loved the winter scenic settings during the Christmas season in Pennsylvania for the location. The  dual themes of the story are that we’ll all mistakes and to follow your heart.

This steamy contemporary romance melts more than ice and snow.  This contemporary romance is sexy, sizzling, and cranks up the heat a notch. I had nothing to nitpick on this novel since this was spot on and fantastic. I rated this book, five out of five stars for no specific reason.  If you love twisted  sexy holiday contemporary romances with a sparkle of humor, tons of romantic drama, and plenty of non-stop sizzling action, Beefcake and Snowflakes is right up your alley. This book is recommended for those who love Hallmark novels, holiday romances, and all types of romantic comedies alike.

The Twelve Days of Snowball

  In Kristen McKavanagh’s The Twelve Days of Snowball, the 2nd installment in the Snowball contemporary romance series, this Christmas-themed contemporary romance is tender-hearted and sweet with some funny moments.  Sophie Heidt is the newest hotel manager of the Weber Haus hotel for the Christmas season. She had heart broken by her boyfriend who stole her dreams away from landing a role at her top-choice hotel. During the Christmas season, she’s in charge of the hotel in Braunfels and runs into Snowball, an adorable white kitten who’s the official kitty of the Victorian B&B Inn. And then she runs into Daniel Aarons, the construction foreman, who she had butted heads with on a daily basis. While she had gotten into the Christmas spirit, she dealt with entertaining guests, have preparations made for the Christmas Market, and deal with hilarious moments when it comes to Snowball and her match-making ways. As for Daniel, his best friend recuperated at the hospital and needed to pick up the pieces to finish what he started on the job to help Sophie get ready. Though she infuriated him at first, he learned to get on her good side and deal with whatever she needed to help the hotel. But they were two people who stood in his way, his competitor named Jannik Boch, and Giselle, a former childhood flame who had her eyes set on him. While he made Christmas magic with Sophie, they had a few laughs together and realized how good they were for each other. But when Sophie received an interview for her dream job at the hotel, would she follow her heart or make dreams when she felt at home with her new friends to celebrate the holiday spirit?

This was a delightful Christmas-themed contemporary romance. Snowball was a hoot in all of her kitten-like ways to bring Daniel and Sophie together. I cared about Sophie on how she dealt with all the innings and outings of running a hotel during the holiday season and beyond it. I loved how she friended Clara and handled Snowball in more ways than one.  I adored Daniel and was glad that he came to the senses and be on Sophie’s side all the time. I loved how the “Twelve Days of Christmas” theme was interwoven throughout the storyline for the theme. The location of Braunfels was enchanting and unique from the B&B and to the Christmas Market with vivid imaginary scenic settings for the location. The theme of the story is that you can make your dreams come true anywhere if you believe in yourself.

I loved how it dealt with finding love during the holidays. This was heartfelt and moved me to tears. I rate this book, five out of five stars, because it was a powerful read and well-written. This is recommended to everyone who loves to read Christmas-themed contemporary romances and loves Hallmark movies. If you love heart-warming holiday romances that has non-stop action, plenty of romantic drama, hints of humor, and a spark of mystery, check out the Twelve Days of Snowballs today.